06-05-2008

Danish children are fond of architecture

The idea behind the project 'The City Detectives' was to let children play and experiment so that they can learn more about the city. The kids could experiment with various materials, such as wood, sandstone, bricks, glass and copper. The project  comprised several subjects taught at school, including visual art, Danish and geography.

At the conclusion of the project, children's works were exhibited in the City Hall of Århus, where architects, planners and other experts could enjoy the results and draw their inspiration for the future development of the city.

The experience of the children and their teachers is now collected in the report 'Bydetektiverne' ('The City Detectives'). Schools that would like to encourage their pupils to become city detectives with a focus on architecture and city space can order teaching material from the Children's Culture Centre in Århus.

The project, which is the third project for children, run by the Heritage Agency of Denmark, has been implemented in co-operation with the Children's Culture Centre in the Århus municipality. The idea was based on the positive experience from similar projects in Scandinavia. 'The City Detectives' is a part of the Århus municipality's initiative in the field of architecture and is a subproject in the framework of the experiment 'Model Municipality', conducted by the Danish Network for Children and Culture.

Edited by Signe Thomsen sth@boernekultur.dk

Read more: The Heritage Agency of Denmark (in Danish)

'The City Detectives' (in Danish)

The Children's Culture Centre in Århus (in Danish)